Moonlit Poetry
by JeiC
Summary: Fleeting thoughts on a muggy summer night under the moonlit sky.


Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts…none of it. Though KH2 seems to own my soul lately. ::plays through yet again::  
Author's notes: Notes at the end.  
Warnings: mild angst, yaoi

**Moonlit Poetry**

by JeiC  
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Watching dark clouds float past the nearly full moon in artistic wisps and tendrils, I find myself thinking about my own dark powers that for the most part, lay dormant. It's times like these where I can feel them hum inside of me, wishing to wake once more. I don't know what would happen if they did.

The hot, muggy night dragged me out of my bed, unable to sleep and wanting a place to think. Though coming to the island was probably a bit excessive on my part, but there was always something about this place…

Shaking my head, my bare feet swing back and forth lightly in the refreshingly cool water as I lean back on my elbows. My vest and sneakers lay neatly beside me and the hot, humid breeze brushed against my exposed legs where I had rolled up my pants.

Looking at the moon again, a long forgotten school assignment came to mind. This was during that innocent time before everything started with Keyblades and Kingdom Hearts. Heartless, Nobodies, and Organization XIII were things that we knew nothing about. Life was simple then, as was that poem. I'm pretty sure I know who wrote it.

The assignment was to write a poem describing a classmate. We were all given someone to write about so that no one would double up. I have to laugh at my own memories of my clumsy attempts to poetically describe Wakka. That was certainly a challenge.

I remember the teacher reading them aloud in class – refusing to tell us who wrote it, but having us guess who it was that had been written about. The person who wrote my description…I can't remember the poem itself, but I remember parts of it. Hair like the moonlight and eyes like the sea…that was all that was needed for anyone to guess it was about me.

I don't know why my hair is such an odd color. I've always felt uncomfortable about it. Forced myself to be the best so that no one would pick on me for it. Reaching up, I pull a lock forward to look at it, watching it reflect the moon's glow.

Such a pure color on someone so dark…it doesn't suit me.

Sighing, I unzip my shirt hoping for some relief, but continue by removing it, folding it, and placing it neatly with my vest. I'm half tempted to take the armband off since I'm alone, but I'm afraid to look at it myself. The brand that the darkness left me with has yet to fade.

Laying back completely on the dock, I pull my feet out of the water in order to be more comfortable. I just simply stare and watch the lazy clouds drift past the moon like tendrils of darkness, but not so dark as to block out the moon's gentle, silvery glow.

Now how did the rest of that poem go? Something about being as graceful as the wind, but fought like a raging storm. I can't even remember how the words went together to even begin trying to remember the whole thing. It's such a silly endeavor, I know, but it's better than the dark thoughts that lurk in my mind.

I play with it for a while in my head, hoping to put the pieces of that fragmented memory back together, but I can't seem to find all of them.

It takes me a moment, but I realize that the air is simply hanging. Even the unhelpful breeze has died. An icy feeling starts sliding up my feet and I jump, looking down at the darkness attempting to wrap itself around me, slowly climbing further up my body.

Jumping for real, my hand is at my chest trying to ineffectively help me catch my breath. I can feel the sweat from what I'm hoping was a nightmare slide down my face. Heh, I guess it is possible to sleep in this weather.

"Riku, are you okay?"

Whipping around, I didn't even notice another's presence before the words had been spoken, "Sora…what are you doing here?" Why was he sitting behind me? Apparently he had taken my lead as I noticed his shirt, jacket, and sneakers in a sloppy pile next to mine.

Putting his hands on his hips, my spiky-haired friend shot back, "I could ask you the same thing, you know. I came out here when I noticed that your boat was missing." His face turned solemn, "But really, are you okay? That seemed like it was a really bad dream."

Turning away from him, I lied a bit, "It was nothing." Even now I could still feel the ghost trails of the darkness clawing its way up me.

I heard him make a sound of annoyance before suddenly the younger teen landed on my lap. "Sora, what are you…?"

"I'm not letting you run away again, Riku," he cut off. I'm glad we were alone, otherwise this would be a very compromising position with the Keyblade Master straddling my lap, but I doubt his innocence would let him consider the other possibilities.

"I'm not running away, but I think I can handle a little nightmare," I smile at him, hoping that he'll take it as is.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Sora looks at me, with his horrible attempt at making it look like he's annoyed with me, but drops both his arms when he can't keep it up.

Taking the opening, I inquire, "So why are you up at this time of night and tracking me down?"

A hand timidly comes back up to toy with a lock of my hair. Bright blue eyes fully focused on what his fingers had captured, "I couldn't sleep…it's too sticky. So I went for a walk and saw your boat was missing. Riku, I…I thought you were going to leave again."

"I'm not leaving, Sora," I tried to console, "I may not be comfortable here, knowing what I did, but I'm not leaving." Even with the words spoken, the smaller teen doesn't move. He just keeps staring at the lock of hair in his fingers.

Looking up suddenly, I try to follow his gaze before he looks back at my hair, whispering to himself, "I was right, it is like the moonlight."

"Sora?" I'm kind of shocked and somewhat alarmed at the sudden comment. More so because I was thinking about that poem someone had written earlier this evening. "Were you the one that had written that?"

Even in the pale light, I could see a blush creep into his cheeks. "I uh…I…yeah. You're not mad, are you? I was cleaning my room and found it again recently…I was thinking about maybe sharing it with you."

I shake my head, "You must've gotten a good grade for that. I wouldn't have minded if you wanted to, but am I still the same person that you had written about then?" I'm not sure why I asked, but the words just kept coming.

The spikes gently followed their owner back and forth as he kept tilting his head, thinking about my question. "Yes and no. I think we've all changed since then, grown, but in our hearts, we're still the same, right?"

"You tell me," I threw at him. Mostly it was because I didn't want to admit to the changes in my heart.

"I think so, but…" His thoughts seemed to give the Keyblade Master pause before he continued, "With everything we've been through, it would be hard to say they haven't, but just small changes." Opening his mouth to say more, Sora paused to collect his thoughts once more, "Riku…there's something that has changed in my heart about you."

Negative thoughts enter my mind even before I even ask, "What has changed?"

"It's nothing bad, well, depends I guess, but…Riku…" Hands come up to cover his flustered face. A moment later I hear a whispered, "Please forgive me."

I don't even get to ask him what for before I find his lips pressed against mine. A moment later they were gone, but he wasn't. Those emotion-filled, deep blue eyes look at me, searching for…something…

Denying that I had thought about that before would be pointless now. Raising a hand to gently touch a soft cheek, I respond a bit slower than Sora did in order to give him a chance to back away. Yes, he started it, but all the same, I don't think he fully understands the emotions behind it. He's just an innocent child, letting his heart guide him.

Kissing timid lips, I know that in the end, I'm setting myself up for a broken heart. Someone so gentle and so pure doesn't belong with a castaway of the darkness such as myself. Sora is a light that shines so bright, it can cut through the deepest darkness.

The moment between us lingers for a while and I wonder if maybe, someday, Sora will be the one that eliminates the darkness from my heart. Pulling away finally, he smiles at me before resting his head on my shoulder and holding me tightly. My arms automatically come up to encircle is lithe frame despite the weather.

While I do not fear the darkness, I do not want to rely on its power again if I can help it. I was almost lost to it forever until the bright light sitting on my lap cut through it. Something I will forever be grateful for and hope to never lose.  
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Fin  
by JeiC  
July 2007  
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Author's notes: The whole inspiration for this is pretty much my obsession with Riku combined with a hot muggy night where I couldn't sleep and watching the dark clouds float past a nearly full moon, wishing it would rain so that it would cool off and I could sleep. Yeah, I wrote this fic instead. It's probably the first time I've written a fic where I wasn't being ambiguous about there being a yaoi pairing. Normally I try to keep it fairly general so people could take it as yaoi if they wanted to and others could take it as a really deep, close friendship.  
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